This invention generally relates to the art of fiber optic connectors, electrical connectors and other such connecting devices and, particularly, to a system for mounting connectors in an opening in a panel, circuit box, circuit board or other substrate.
Fiber optic connectors, electrical connectors, adapters for such connectors and variety of other such connecting devices often are mounted within openings in a panel. The connecting interface of the connector, therefore, passes through the panel, i.e., from one side of the panel to the other. The panel may be a drawer panel, a box panel, a backplane panel, a circuit board or a variety of other planar substrates.
In addition, a pair of connectors or a connector and another transmission device often are mated in an adapter which centers the connectors. The adapter couples the connectors together in an in-line arrangement. The adapter may be designed for mounting in the opening in the panel, circuit board or other substrate, whereby one connector is inserted into the adapter from one side of the panel and another connector or other transmission device is inserted into the adapter from the opposite side of the panel.
Problems are encountered in mounting connecting devices through openings in panels where electromagnetic interference (EMI) is present. For instance, in a drawer panel, a box panel, a backplane panel or the like, all kinds of electrical circuitry may be disposed behind the panel (i.e., the opposite side of the panel) and it is desirable to prevent the electromagnetic interference from migrating through the connectors interface in the panel opening to the front side of the panel. If an adapter in an opening in a panel is fabricated of plastic material which has excellent wear characteristics, such as for allowing repeated mating and unmating of the connectors which typically are made of plastic materials, electromagnetic interference has a tendency of migrating directly through the plastic adapter. In order to provide EMI protection under such circumstances, it might be proposed to fabricate the adapter out of metal material, such as a diecast metal material. Unfortunately, such a metal adapter creates additional problems of creating plastic xe2x80x9cdustxe2x80x9d as a result of repeated mating and unmating cycles of a plastic connector with a metal adapter. It also might be proposed to plate a plastic adapter with metal material, but such metallization is expensive and the plating has a tendency to xe2x80x9cflake-offxe2x80x9d during repeated mating and unmating cycles, again creating undesirable plastic and metal dust. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing an adapter assembly or other receptacle which has a plastic part for receiving a repeatedly mateable connector, along with a metal part to provide EMI protection at the opening in the panel.
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved receptacle or adapter assembly for mounting in an opening in a panel.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the receptacle or adapter assembly includes a housing mountable in the opening in the panel and including a pair of housing halves secured together at an interface. A first of the housing halves projects from one side of the panel and has a first receptacle for receiving at least one connector. The first housing half is fabricated of plastic material to withstand repeated insertions of the connector with a plastic housing into the receptacle. A second housing half projects from an opposite side of the panel and has a second receptacle for receiving a complementary connecting device for mating with the connector within the adapter assembly. The second housing half is fabricated of metal material to provide EMI protection at the opening in the panel.
As disclosed herein, the first housing half is unitarily molded of dielectric plastic material. The second housing half is fabricated of diecast metal material.
Other features of the invention include a snap-latch means between the pair of housing halves for securing the housing halves together. A latch also is provided on at least one of the housing halves for securing the adapter assembly in the opening in the panel. As disclosed herein, the latch is a metal latch and is a singular component having a pair of latch arms on opposite sides of the adapter assembly. At least one alignment sleeve spans the interface between the pair of housing halves, with opposite ends of the sleeve extending into a pair of aligned holes in the respective housing halves.
One additional feature of the invention includes use of different color plastic for molding the plastic half of the adapter to indicate the type of connector, e.g., single mode, APC etc., type of connector installed in the metal half of the adapter.
The invention also contemplates additional EMI protection by providing an EMI gasket about the adapter assembly and substantially surrounding the opening in the panel. As disclosed herein, the EMI gasket may be fabricated of metal material or foam with metal conductive fabric over it, or silicone with metal particles impregnated into it and is disposed about the second, metal half of the housing.